Gareth A Davies has been a sports journalist for The Daily Telegraph since 1993. He is Boxing and MMA Correspondent. Has been intrigued by fight and combat sports from a young age. Personal sporting passions are rugby, cricket, and martial arts. Also covers the Paralympic Games. Hates getting his hair cut. Follow on Twitter @GarethADaviesDT

So what did we learn from UFC 170 ? Ronda Rousey is just getting better; Daniel Cormier is going to be a ripper at 205lbs, and Rory MacDonald can fight a week after cutting his hand open with a carving knife, and has poor technique – culinary, that is, when attacking an avocado…

When the fights were done, we learned from UFC president Dana White that he reckons Anderson Silva, incredibly, could be back in the Octagon by the end of the year; Chris Cyborg Santos is still not being considered a viable opponent for Rousey by the UFC – Cat Zingano is likely to get the first dig at the champion, probably late summer after she finishes filming ‘Entourage’ – and Nick Diaz, in spite of not contacting the UFC in an official capacity, is ‘on’ for a title fight at 170lbs whenever the world’s richest fight organisation wants him.

It was a strange night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, the main and co-main events each lasting just over a minute. Sara McMann, doubled up after a knee to the liver, was rescued by referee Herb Dean after 66 seconds of non-stop stand-up strike and clinch. Rousey was phenomenal.

It left us all wanting more. But McMann’s fall left her clutching her side and although she recovered with alacrity, referee Dean had seen enough.

“We’d worked on attacking the body, and I promised my coach I’d show that in the fight,” she said. “We’d studied her body position in other fights and she was open for it.”

McMann insisted she would go back to the drawing board and work on getting a rematch. She was sportsmanship personified.

Cormier, on debut at light-heavyweight, looked fast and emphatic in putting away Pat Cummins, felling the late replacement – a UFC debutant – in 79 seconds. Cormier's demolition of Cummins was perfect: hurtful, dismissive and impressive, in spite of the fact that, as predicted, it was actually as it showed on paper: an epic mis-match.

“I feel good because it's my first finish in the UFC,” said Cormier. “The training camp was long and hard and I prepared for a long fight but I have no complaints. I'm going to stay in this cycle and be this healthy in every camp. I feel great with this nutrition and the way my body has reacted to it. I'm firing on all cylinders.”

“I've been talking about this move down for a long time and when you do it the right way you don't feel any effects. I don't want to make this harder than it needs to be. I've got great coaches and I know I haven't peaked yet. I’m going to keep getting better and I’m taking on all comers.”

The problem for him is that most of the contenders in his elite class are locked up in match-ups at present. Though Phil Davis is available. Good match.

MacDonald came into this fight against Demian Maia with a left hand injury. It was kept quiet until the post-fight news conference. He was stitched up from a deep cut in his left hand while cutting an avocado at home, and at first thought we would have to drop out of his UFC 170.

"I stabbed myself. It was pretty embarrassing, when it happened I was so embarrassed. I couldn't believe, I thought that I was going to have to pull out of the fight because I easily could have hit tendon or something."

"I went to the emergency room and got stitched up," MacDonald said. "Everything is fine, everything is intact. It went in really far, I didn't sever anything important, so I stitched it up, I fought, and everything is cool."

It didn’t stop him having a great fight with Maia, awarded 'fight of the night' honours.

In the opening round, Maia drew MacDonald in, shot in quickly and used his smothering style on the ground to flatten MacDonald out, following up with attacks through punches and elbows. It was effective, if not brutal.

They were up again at 48 seconds left in the round, trading leg kicks, Maia still enjoying some success with the left hand from the southpaw stance. He buckled MacDonald with an inside leg kick. The opener was Maia’s.

In the second round, McDonald was much more wary about range.
Every time Maia shot in looking for the takedown, it was a river he could not bridge. MacDonald had his number.

MacDonald owned the second stanza. Now it was Maia peppered to the head and body with strikes, body kicks and a knee, the Brazilian almost buckling three times. This was the MacDonald who hunts his prey. There was the feeling that the merciful outcome would have been a stoppage in the second. It was horribly one-sided. A penetrating right kick to the left side of Maia ended the round.

In the third, MacDonald was again dominant for two minutes. Then, with three minutes remaining, Maia had MacDonald down again, to the applauding crowd’s delight. They chanted his name.

A minute later, as Maia looked for an attacking position, the Canadian flicked his foe over his head with an incredible sweep.

MacDonald, exhausted now, looked for the finish. Maia clung on like a man teetering over a cliff.

At the final klaxon, they both raised their arms. A deep, black, haunted look in the eyes of Maia was self-evident as he staggered back to his corner. They clapped Maia out of the arena. It was a great effort.

MacDonald said: “I showed myself out there today and I didn’t hold anything back. I took some shots but I gave a lot more. Demian shoots really low so after the first round I altered my posture and leaned in.”

“It helped prevent his shot and made all the difference in the fight. I was super excited to fight Demian because he’s such an accomplished veteran and he posed some unique threats. He has some big wins under his belt so this win means a lot.”

Maia explained: "I won the first round, but Rory recovered in the second and third. He didn't surprise me at all. I knew he is one of the best in the division. I'm satisfied with my performance but disappointed in my loss. We'll see what happen next for me. I want to go to Brazil and spend time with my family."

Mike Pyle took the honours in a scrap with TJ Waldburger. The pair traded strikes with Pyle on top for the first two rounds. Then, in a dramatic third round, mullet man Pyle landed a spinning back elbow to the head, dropping Waldburger to the canvas.

After sinking in a guillotine choke, Pyle reined in with heavy shots, attacking with telling elbows and punches from every angle, as referee Herb Dean eventually called a halt. It was a brutal finish. It seemed to go on forever. Dean was heavily criticised on social media for being premature for the title fight stoppage, and for letting this one go on too long.

“I felt like I was just barely winning,” explained Pyle. “My coach told me I needed to win round three so I had to dig down deep, gut it out and finish. I didn't swarm him. I really tried to take my time, pick and choose my punches and ended up getting it done. I'm very sore. He was kicking my legs pretty good. I've got a lot of fight left in me – I'm a late bloomer.”

Welterweights Stephen Thompson and Robert Whittaker, opening up the main card, entertained. Thompson won by stoppage. “I can’t even describe how good I feel right now. Whittaker is a very tough opponent so I was careful to stay away from his power and use my speed.”

“I’ve got great instructors and coaches and my ground game is improving quickly. I’m still a striker at heart though so naturally that’s where I want the fight to take place. I’m a fighter which means I will fight anyone at any place any time the UFC wants me to. I’m ready for whatever they have lined up next for me.”

Alexis Davis won a hard-fought split points decision over Jessica eye, in the other women’s bantamweight fight on the card. In fairness, I had Eye winning the bout 29-28, by dint of squeaking ahead in the opening round, and taking the third. It has been an emotional time for the Cleveland fighter, but she will be back. There is a championship contender in there.

“I thought my performance was good. I could see by the look in her eye that she wasn’t going to go down easily,” said Davis, still not quite in the title picture.

“You find things you do wrong in both wins and losses and I definitely had my share of mistakes tonight. Jessica was a lot stronger than I expected her to be. Even on the ground when she was holding my wrist I was having the toughest time trying to wrestle it away from her.”

“I think it’s my time to shine. I’ve won all three of my fights in the UFC against the top competition. I believe I’ve earned a shot at the title and I’d love the chance to get that belt.”